The Jawaahir Dance Company performs a women's Khaliji (Gulf) dance.
Choreographed by Kay Hardy Campbell to Halaa, a song by the Miami (Kuwaiti) Band.
Premiered at the Southern Theater, Minneapolis, MN in March, 2006
Photograph by Nicole LeCorgne

"Thank you, Kay. I really enjoyed your energy, ideas and passion for women, music and dance!"
- Aleedra, from Roy, Washington, attendee at Oasis Dance Camp West, 2007

Folkloric Music and Dance: The Gulf and Saudi Arabia have a rich tradition of many varieties of folk song and dance. Women of these countries have their own traditional dances and songs, that they perform in groups to celebrate occasions such as weddings, school graduations and national holidays. Kay has written numerous articles about the folk music and folk dance of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. See Publications for a sample of her work.

In addition to writing about these arts, Kay has taught seminars and classes in the Gulf women's folkloric dances (Khaliji or Khaleeji dance) across the U.S. to women at dancer-sponsored events as well as at academic institutions including MIT, Agnes Scott College, Wellesley College and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She has been the folkloric dance instructor at Oasis Dance Camp four times and is currently a faculty member of the Arab Dance Seminar.

While Kay doesn't perform these folk dances in public, she has coached and choreographed group dances for professional performers including Boston's Near East Dance Theatre, Libana and the Jawaahir Dance Company of Minneapolis. Kay teaches these dances to share the joyous celebrations of Arabian women's traditional culture with women in the West by letting them experience it firsthand through music and dance.

Recent and upcoming classes:

November 2-4, 2007 - Khaliji folk dance classes at the Arab Dance Seminar, Revive Wellness Center, New Haven, CT.

March 29, 2008 - Khaliji folk dance choreography and technique class at Jawaahir Dance Company studios, Minneapolis Minnesota. Click here for details and to register.

August 2, 2008 - Khaliji dance choreography and technique class at Ancient Arts Studios, Berkley, MA - 10AM - 1PM. Sponsored by Aurel. For more information and to register, contact Lisa: 508-822-6449 or bahirra@ancientartstudios.com .

Please contact Kay if you are interested in a group class for women in Khaliji dance.